The word 投资 (tóuzī) is formed by combining two conceptual characters: 投, which carries the idea of "to throw" or "to cast into", implying an action of directing something forward, and 资, which means "capital", "resources", or "funds". Together, they create a vivid conceptual metaphor of "casting in capital", visually and notionally capturing the essential action of committing money or resources into a venture with the expectation of future profit or result. This formation directly mirrors the core activity of investment.